My Tiny PlotHarvesting Shallots
I dug up my Shallots a few days ago and dried them out in the sun (before the rain came). They are now happily weathering the wet weather in the potting shed. If the sun comes out again I’ll pop them out to dry some more.
I planted them back in March from some saved Shallots from last season. I wasn’t sure that the bulbs would be okay since I’ve never saved Shallots before but hey… they worked out fine!
I like Shallots. They’re smaller and more usable for our small needs (maybe that will change when my two boys start consuming their own body weight in food everyday, but for now they are fine.)
They tend to be sweeter than Onions with a more sophisticated flavour and are great for caramalising.
And… I can’t help feeling just a little bit smug that the first stored harvest is in the shed!
Completely agree! When the onions fail (most years) the shallots just come soldiering on through every year.
I keep looking at mine, wondering when to harvest them. They went in a bit later than yours so I’m guessing another month. Yum yum.
Another timely post. Mine are ready and if we could just get a warm, dry day I will be harvesting too. Not too much to ask in July is it? ;)
Your shallots are just beautiful. Not having planted any this year I am envious. But to compensate, my onions are doing well.
I mixed up all my onions and they all seem like shallots.. Since they all started to wither I dug them out last Saturday but have them all together in a tub now (ah the blesssings of the new type of rubber tubs) – knowing full well this is not how I should do it. I know the images of braided onion strings drying but am not sure how to proceed. Nearly half of the onions have lost their stem, and sun nowhere in sight. Any advise?
I have shallot envy! I saved shallots too, but mine did not do well.
There’s definitely something rather nice about storing food you grow. We grow chillies every year and freeze them whole in large bags – they last all year which is very satisfying. To have a stash of anything from the garden now must be very satisfying!
how and when do you grow beetroot and once harvested do you boil it?
Planted my shallots last October as I had bought them in France. It was great to see green shoots poking through the snow in January. Read somewhere to harvest them on the mid summers day – fortunately dry and sunny here that day. Now hanging up in the garage with the ones without stems drying out in a large open tray in the greenhouse. I turn them over daily to dry out. Hadn’t thought to use the smallest bulbs as “seed” for next year but will try that.
My first crop from my new garden veg patch!! How good is that. Keeping the garden patch for salads etc. next year as now have an allotment – hurrah!
I harvested mine a couple of weeks ago and was very happt with the harvest. Hubby wanted to tie them together with their stems but most didn’t have one so they are in a box of straw in the cellar.
For the question about beetroot – when they are between a golf ball n tennis ball size, you can harvest them. You can eat them raw but they are better boiled first – or steamed which is what I did. I did them for 30 mins then checked them. Once they were done, I peeled them n then pickled them. They are delucious. And of course some went straight in my mouth!
Hi Tanja – lay them out one shallot deep (ie not on top of one another) so they can dry out as much as possible – in a coldframe with the lid open a little bit is perfect. They don’t necessarily need sun, just a dry, well ventilated place. A string bag in a garage or kitchen is fine.
nice blog – just found you via the independent – I always grow plenty shallots and start eating them very early in the green – much nicer than spring onions and always so easy and trouble free :)
I’ve harvested my small crop of onions and shallots and they are drying in the sun this week. How long will they last please?